Pierce, a right-wing attorney, represented 17 individuals charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol Riots and has given various contradictory explanations as to his absence.

One factor was that Pierce is fighting COVID-19; another is that he had been involved in an accident; when this news surfaced, the government took notice and sent letters to judges overseeing his cases.

Attorney John Pierce Resurfaces

Pierce is an attorney renowned for combining politics, culture wars and fundraising for his conservative legal group with the reality of criminal defense law. Additionally, he’s become an enthusiastic participant in a far-right disinformation ecosystem and engaged in spreading lies to clients as well as to the general public.

His practice spans internationally. He has advised on wind farm projects across North America, Europe, and Asia; utility-scale solar PV and battery storage systems; power generation facilities in Hawaii and California; as well as oil & gas infrastructure projects including refineries, airports, toll roads and pipelines in Mexico and Iceland.

Pierce first gained notoriety last summer when he was hired to defend Kyle Rittenhouse, an Oath Keepers associate accused of participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot. Following this high-profile hire, other clients such as Rudolph Giuliani, former Trump aides Carter Page and George Papadopoulos as well as presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard became clients as well.

At the same time, Pierce has emerged as a strong critic of vaccination mandates and mask laws and encouraged his followers to break laws in protest against them. He has even called for armed resistance against what he refers to as “deep state” plots against our country. When not court representing clients or right-wing media circuit promoting his views or attacking adversaries.

Attorney John Pierce is Back in Court

Pierce has established close ties with far-right supporters of President Trump who are accused of participating in the January 6 riots at the Capitol, and pledged an aggressive legal battle that may include forcing government agencies to release security footage of the incident and subpoenaing hostile witnesses such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

As Pierce has not returned from court for 12 days, both prosecutors and colleagues have become skeptical of his health claims. His associates have provided contradictory accounts of his condition: one told NPR he is on a ventilator in the final stages of Covid-19 treatment; while another spokesperson claimed dehydration and exhaustion. Since his absence at hearings, Ryan Joseph Marshall, not licensed attorney himself but facing his own criminal charges in Pennsylvania related to an alleged guardianship fraud scheme has stood in as his representative at hearings hearings – leaving both sets of authorities dissatisfied.

Pierce pioneered litigation funding by founding a boutique firm backed by hedge funds that focused on contingency-fee cases against large corporations. But since his firm collapsed in 2017, leaving him deeply in debt, Pierce now works out of a small office in Seattle using crowdfunding as his main means to fund his clients. His case has raised concerns over mixing political rhetoric and culture war fundraising with the unforgiving realities of criminal defense litigation in court.

Attorney John Pierce Represents 17 Capitol Riot Defendants

Attorney John Pierce of Pierce Bainbridge has taken on so many clients accused of participating in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol that he’s lost count. Pierce represents individuals alleged to be members of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys extremist groups as well as prominent conservative activists’ children and grandchildren.

However, federal prosecutors cautioned in a court filing on Monday that 17 of Pierce’s clients are without legal counsel due to his disappearance; an associate told a judge he was hospitalized and on ventilator support.

NPR’s David Lewis reports that on Wednesday, Pierce sent letters to judges in cases he’s handling, explaining that his 12-day stay in a Los Angeles-area hospital had been per doctor’s advice and will resume his duties next week.

Pierce declined to speak in detail with NPR about his defense strategy for Capitol riot defendants, though he hinted at exploring a theory suggesting government agents may have set them up – an idea popular with right-wing circles and Fox News but lacking concrete proof from public evidence sources. Pierce’s case underscores the difficulty inherent in mixing political rhetoric with unforgiving realities of criminal defense work in courts.

Attorney John Pierce Represents Kyle Rittenhouse

Eight months since pro-Trump protesters stormed the Capitol building, an ongoing debate continues about both how it happened and its significance – at its center are two attorneys renowned for advancing conservative causes: John Pierce and Ryan Marshall.

First made famous through their defense of Wisconsin teenager Kyle Rittenhouse, charged with killing two and injuring one during protests in Kenosha last August, the pair gained prominence defending him until clashes over money ensued, including allegations that Pierce diverted donations earmarked for Rittenhouse’s defense; Rittenhouse eventually parted ways with Pierce in February and hired new counsel instead.

Now the duo is taking on additional high-profile cases. Along with representing 17 Capitol riot defendants, they’re taking on another high-profile one: They’re fighting prosecutors in a lawsuit filed by father-and-son Florida Proud Boy pair who were arrested during an attack; plus representing another Proud Boy in New York who has been accused of similar behavior.

Now that Pierce has resurfaced, it remains uncertain which of those cases will progress further. Pierce reportedly sent letters to judges involved in Marshall’s case informing them he has been hospitalized for 12 days and won’t return until September 13.

As NPR has reported before, Pierce is no stranger to financial difficulties. His once-promising law firm collapsed under its debt load, while he still owes large sums to numerous creditors – some of whom have sued him as well. Pierce is often criticized for mixing culture war rhetoric and online fundraising efforts with the harsh realities of criminal defense courtroom litigation.